Wild Child
by all things Asian
Summary: Quil's brown eyes never left mine, and his big and insanely warm hands gently clasped my wrists, preventing me from breaking free. My struggle to break free was futile, and his grip tightened. Infuriated and frustrated, I began to scream. "I hate you!" the words flew out before I could stop them, but he still leaned forward and kissed me anyways.
1. The Beginning

**Author's Note: So first of all, you should know that I've been waiting to do a Quil and Claire story for a long time! :) Here's my first shot at it! Reviews are cherished and taken into great consideration! :D It was originally meant to be a one-shot, but let's see where the reviews get me before I decide to turn it into a story. ;)**

**Story Notice: So from this chapter takes place from when Quil first meets Claire (err, post ECLIPSE and during BREAKING DAWN…?) to post BREAKING DAWN. Correct me if I am wrong.**

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the characters from SM for my fanfic, so basically, nothing belongs to me.

-Quil-

The very first time I saw Claire, I think my heart stopped; even though that day was fourteen years ago, I remember it so clearly, as if it had happened yesterday. It feels like it did. That day Emily made us a big pot of macaroni and cheese with ham (which I recall was gobbled up by us instantaneously) and told us that we were to be on our best behavior. Her nieces were coming down to La Push for a visit. Her six-year-old niece, Caitlin and her younger two-year-old sister, Claire. The Youngs didn't visit La Push frequently, but since Emily was going to marry Sam really soon, her sister decided to pay a visit.

I remember a red Toyota pulling up to Emily and Sam's home. The sun was shining brightly, and the pale sunlight streamed through the canopy of trees, and it wasn't as cold as La Push usually was. A tall and strikingly beautiful woman, Emily's sister (I think her name is June) stepped out of the car, and Emily ran to greet her, sending us one last glare before helping her sister with her two daughters. Embry, Jake and I sat silently on the bench that was outside the porch of Emily and Sam's home, watching the scene unfold before us. Jared had gone off to get the Clearwaters, and Sam was getting back from patrol with Paul. A little girl leapt out of the car, running straight for Jake, who braced himself for the hugs and kisses he would get. Little Caitlin always adored Jake and secretly crushed on him. Her hazel eyes were shining as she ran straight into Jake's awaiting arms and told him all about her day at school. Thank God it was Friday, so we didn't have school tomorrow either. Caitlin bombarded Jake with questions about his day, and the little Makah girl listened eagerly as Jake babbled to her about his day. Embry always teased Jake that Caitlin would become strikingly beautiful when she grew older. Jake had always complained that it would be perverted if he fell in love with her when she was sixteen, and Jake stayed that age due to not phasing. I agreed with Jake on that one, and Embry had just turned away in defeat, muttering to himself.

The Youngs came over every once in awhile, but it had been over a year since I've even seen them. I mean, they didn't live far; they lived at the Makah reservation not too far away, but being the busy family they were, they had hardly any time to come on down to La Push. Embry was grinning at Caitlin, reaching forward to ruffle her hair. Embry was affectionate to everyone, but I was surprised that Caitlin still ignored him and fawned over Jake, who in reality, thought the little girl was annoying. Claire, the youngest, was only two. Still a toddler. Could walk on unsteady legs and could barely speak. I saw June laugh hysterically at a joke Emily just told before she reached into the car and unbuckled her youngest daughter. She sat her on the ground and patted her head affectionately before going back to talk to her sister. I watched carefully as Claire's little form ran through the leaves, appearing just like a little fish in a sea of unfamiliarity. She squealed in delight as she plopped herself in the leaves and began throwing them up in the air so they landed on her. I couldn't help but laugh at the scene. That's when my life changed forever. Her brown eyes darted towards me, and I stopped breathing.

I felt like I was a balloon, tied to a tree, and suddenly, a pair of scissors came out of no where and snipped the string so I was no longer being pulled towards the earth. Gravity was no longer holding me. It was Claire. And suddenly, I saw so many different visions.

One was a five-year-old Claire, shrieking with laughter and riding down a hill on a bike with me chasing after her. Her black hair flew behind her, and my face was etched with fear as I called to her to stop. She didn't listen. The next vision was when she was ten. She was at a dance recital, gnawing on her bottom lip in anxiety; but when her hazel eyes reached mine, a big smile broke onto her face. I saw the tiny girl wave to me, and I couldn't help but wave back and let a silly smile cross my face when I looked at her. Then it skipped to thirteen-year-old Claire. She was just becoming a teenager, and she was sobbing on her bed and talking on the phone. To _me_. Out of all the friends she probably had, she was consoling in _me_. And I tried to whisper sweet words of comfort as best I could through a phone receiver. Her voice was so broken and shattered (probably some drama at school, I suppose). Then it morphed to eighteen-year-old Claire. She was arguing with her mother. If I didn't know better, I would've thought the two stunningly beautiful women were twins. Their brown eyes flashed at each other, and their soprano voices matched. The words were loud and resembled screeches (wow, talk about a _real _catfight). A vase was shattered, and I saw Claire's mother sobbing in despair while Claire stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. It went black; suddenly, I heard the most terrifying and agonized scream I had ever heard in my life, and the visions ended.

I tumbled back in surprise, catching my footing just before I hit the ground. I heard Embry and Jake distantly call to me, but I couldn't hear them. Instead, my eyes were on a very curious two-year-old. A broad smile was painted onto her face, and slowly, so I wouldn't frighten her, I walked towards her. Her eyes never left mine, and I froze when I realized I was right in front of her. I bent down on one knee, and even so, she was still very tiny compared to me. Her face was round, and her cheeks matched. I saw she had a leaf tangled in her black mane, so I slowly and hesitantly reached towards her head. And I gently pulled the leaf out of her hair and threw it up into the air as hard as I could so the little girl could get a kick because it was falling towards her. With outstretched hands, she waited for it to flutter down and land right into her awaiting hands. Claire smiled goofily at me, and finally, a smile crossed my own face. As I looked into her eyes once more, I saw a happy five-year-old, a nervous ten-year-old, a distraught teenager, and a very beautiful yet angry woman. My mind whirled, and I thought back to that scream followed by a crash. I continued to smile at Claire. _I won't let anything hurt you._

XXX

"Claire, wait!" I ran quickly after the little girl as her mountain bike went down the hill. It wasn't steep, but it was enough for Claire to return home with a sprain or even a break. She just squealed in delight as she rode down the hill, her shoulder-length black hair streaming behind her as the wind whipped her face. The bike seemed to only grow farther and farther away, and I reached out, trying to catch her. I so desperately wanted to phase in order to catch up with the girl and not let her get hurt. I think I was more scared then Claire was. My heart was beating and beating and pounding and it sped up even more. Suddenly, her bike hit a pot hole, and the girl flew off the bike. My heart stopped, and I forced myself to run faster and faster, all the while trying to shake off that urge to phase. "Claire!" I screamed and jumped forward and took giant steps and finally, I caught the girl in my arms. Claire landed in my arms and was squirming around in bouts of laughter. She was giggling hysterically rather than crying, and I tilted her pink helmet back a bit so I could look at her face. Tears of laughter were streaming down her face, and she even laughed harder.I managed to force a smile back, and I cradled Claire in my arms, reprimanding her gently.

"What is the matter with you, Claire-Bear?" I scolded her. She finally managed to regain her composure as she laughed. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at me, wiping away a joyous tear.

"I'm not afraid of falling," she shrugged as I set her down on the grass. I loomed over her, raising an eyebrow at Claire. Not afraid of falling!? The girl almost gave me a heart attack!

"Why is that?" I demanded, looking down at her. She _should _be afraid of falling! I was about to scold her and tell her that she could die from falling, but I stopped instantly when Claire just smiled sweetly up at me.

"Because I know you're always going to catch me," she shrugged nonchalantly as we began to trek up the hill. My frown and horror was replaced instantly by joy and delight. A goofy smile crossed my face. I was so glad that Claire trusted me enough to know that I'm going to be the one to scare all her monsters away. That I would be the one who listened to her endless drama and ranting. It was nice to know we were going somewhere with this relationship.

"Quillllllllllll…" she was tugging on my arm as she made me walk faster. I just chuckled and shook my head, trailing after her like a dog who was trying to snag a hotdog from a little kid. Her high-pitched voice rang out again. "Hurry. I want to do it again…"

XXX

The soft sound of music was playing in the background as we waited for the performance to start. I had bought my ticket to Claire's show a whole two months in advance, just so I would get a front seat. I didn't need to be in the nosebleed section. I squirmed in my seat, holding the pretty bouquet of orchids in my hand; Claire loved orchids. They were her favorite as of her tenth birthday which was only two weeks ago. I was tapping my foot nervously and began to click my tongue in anxiety. My fingers started to drum subconsciously. I just wanted the show to start. It was taking _forever_ and Sam had even let me skip patrol just to see Claire dance. Suddenly, I saw a little head peek out from the edge of the stage. It was Claire. Her brown eyes darted around with silent worry, and as she bit down on her lower lip in fear, I silently willed her to meet my eyes. She did. I quickly waved at her and showed her the lilies, and instantly, her face brightened as she waved back. Someone must've been calling her because Claire shot one last look at me before disappearing behind the curtain once more.

I jumped when I heard the dance instructor begin to drone on and on about how wonderful her students were; personally I didn't care. I was just waiting for Claire to appear on stage. I wanted to see her angelic face badly. Suddenly, the parents broke into applause, and I looked to my right at Caitlin and to my left at June. A flash of pride was drawn over the woman's face as she clapped for her daughter, and I saw Caitlin whooping and probably cheering the loudest. Her bright face was happy. Next to her was Jake, who leaned over to give her a quick kiss, just for Caitlin's happiness, and she blushed a deep shade of red. I chuckled. Even though Jake had imprinted on Nessie, sometimes he returned Caitlin's little quirky feelings for her. A little kiss on the cheek. A hug. Sometimes even hand-holding. It was all friendly though; Jake's heart would never choose anyone else because Nessie was the one.

The drums began to play. I heard whoops, and I saw Claire dance onto stage with her friends. The music was fierce and almost brutal, and the loudness of the drums, chanting and music made my ears pop a few times. I loved the kind of dance she did; it was a Quileute tribal dance. She was learning the ancient dances of the Natives. And I loved this dance that she was doing. It was about the legends of our tribe. Claire was a wolf. She portrayed it well, with passion and clarity, dancing very fiercely yet gracefully at the same time. I was silently wondering if the dance instructor knew that these legends were true, and a real shapeshifter was sitting in the audience, but I didn't dare ask her. Claire practiced constantly for hours on end, and it paid off. The bright light that was on her face reflected off her copper skin, and she smiled broadly as she looked towards me and her family.

She blew us a kiss at the end, and I think I was cheering the loudest…

XXX

"Quil!" her voice was shattered and despaired as she tried to talk to me through the phone, rambling on a mile a minute about her personal life and how much she hated it. She was thirteen now, and I tried to understand all her teenage girl drama as best I could. It was hard though, listening to her rant about how _mean _some of her 'friends' could be. They were complete bitc- err. Never mind. You don't know how much it hurt to have to listen to her talk and swoon over some crazy guy that she thought she was 'in love' with. But sometimes, it made me feel better to listen; her voice always soothed me. I just listened the whole time as I drove to her house, keeping the phone by my ear and making a quick comment every once in awhile to let her know I was still there. I was always going to be there for Claire. My white pick-up truck was parked in front of her two-story house, and I heard her begin to cry harder. "I wish you were here!" she wailed to me. I smiled and chuckled, shaking my head and looked up at her window. I could easily see her room, so I knew she could probably see me as well.

"I'm here," I whispered softly. I heard Claire stop crying, and I saw a little figure rush to the window. A tear-stained face looked at me, and she smiled tearfully at me, waving her hand.

"You're here?" she asked me quietly through the phone, holding back her tears as she peered at me admiringly. She had grown up so much. Her beauty had been heightened drastically as she grew older, and I knew a lot of guys were already after her, despite her young age. But I knew Claire loved me, so that was enough for me. I laughed and waved back at Claire, nodding my head. I was so relieved that I had arrived. It made me feel better when I held Claire in my arms and let her cry. It pained me to be away from her when she felt sad or alone.

"I always will be, Claire-Bear…"

XXX

"No, Mom!" the screaming echoed around the house, bouncing off the walls. An eighteen-year-old Claire was fuming. Her face was marred with too much make up, and her full ruby lips were curled disapprovingly into a sneer. I stood in the corner of the room, remembering that June wanted me to stay out of a fight. Caitlin sat next to me, her beautiful face curled into a horrified expression as she watched her mother and sister fight. Their father was at work like usual, so it was June trying to control the very bratty Claire. Something had changed in Claire when she hit her fifteenth birthday. I don't know what. She just became stone. I didn't even know it was possible for a girl as sweet as she was could grow into an evil queen when she grew up. It broke my heart to know my little Claire-Bear had become something so disfigured from the happy-go-lucky child I so clearly remembered in my mind. I didn't even recognize the girl standing in front of me. She was just a shell of what Claire used to be.

Claire was glaring angrily at her mother, visibly shaking. Their faces resembled each other quite a bit, with their equal beautiful features. Except Claire's face was mauled by anger and bitterness. Tears were streaming down June's face as she tried to calm down her youngest daughter who was having yet another tantrum, and I hated myself for not being able to help June; last time I had gotten myself involved in one of their heated fights, Claire had snapped at me and threatened to cut me with a kitchen knife, holding it to my throat to prove her point.

This fight was just like the others: Claire had been partying past curfew, drinking underage (on rare occasions, thank goodness), and the clothes she wore were a bit too revealing, only making her look more appetizing than she already was. It was the next morning, and thank God that Claire wasn't hung over. But for once, I wish she was. There was something in her twisted face that was so bitter and hateful; I was wondering if this was the same girl I imprinted on sixteen years ago. But I knew she was; even though she was very different (a selfish and spoiled brat…), I could still see some of her good qualities ring out.

Claire was still very tough and brave; she was fearless when it came to confronting people or doing wild things, and when she would fall down, Claire would just get back up and continue on her way, not showing any signs of pain. She was still outspoken and very animated, her every feeling portrayed by her body language and her facial expressions. Right now, she was yelling and screaming in pure frustration. Wow, she was a severely pissed-off bear at the moment…

"Caitlin, call your Aunt Emily. She'll know what to do," June ordered her oldest daughter calmly. Caitlin nodded, gnawing on her bottom lip and began to go walk to the kitchen.

"No! DON'T DRAG EMILY INTO THIS!" Claire hissed at her sister and ran and hurtled over the couch before tackling Caitlin down onto the ground. The two girls fell onto the ground with a smack, and I heard Caitlin begin to scream in horror as Claire screamed and yelled at her, slapping her as well. Caitlin began to sob, and I heard June scolding and screaming at Claire, ordering her to get off her sister. Claire was yelling at her, keeping her sister pinned to the ground as Caitlin thrashed. Her attempts were futile, and I knew Claire was stronger than Caitlin because her sister had always been the frail one. I was already on the job of rescuing Caitlin. I easily pried Claire off her older sister and pinned Claire's hands behind her back, but the hateful words didn't stop. They just kept flowing out of her mouth like word vomit.

"God, I HATE you Caitlin!" she screamed, "I'm sick of living in your shadow! Of you always getting the praise for good grades and me always being looked down on!" Claire was yelling louder than ever, and I sighed, holding onto Claire gently. June was already next to Caitlin who looked visibly hurt by Claire's words.

"That's how you feel about me?" her voice was agonized and distraught. I saw guilt flash in the twenty-two-year-old woman's face as she glanced at her younger sister with terror.

"Yes!" Claire screamed, and she and June resumed their feud. Claire yelled some more before storming out of the house and slamming the door shut. I wished desperately that there was something that I could do for her, but I knew there was nothing. Claire and I hadn't been hanging out a lot this past year, but I knew she knew that I was always going to be there for her when she needed me.

"Claire!" I tried, but the door had already closed. June began to sob. And that's when I realized that this was a part of my vision. I froze in shock, and I knew I had to do something and stop Claire from getting hurt. "Claire!" I screamed at her, but I heard a car screech off. I literally flew out the door, but I knew Claire was long gone. Panic arose inside my chest, and I phased on the fly, charging after Claire before something bad happened. My paws thumped on the ground faster and faster as I raced through the woods, easily dodging all the trees.

_!_

Quil!

So many different voices and thoughts infiltrated the depths of my mind coming from the rest of the pack that was patrolling, but I tried to shake away their thoughts, howling for each of them to all go away. I wasn't paying attention, but I could already lose Embry's thoughts and knew that he phased back into his human form to alert Sam what his youngest niece was doing now.

Finally, I saw her car speeding down the highway. Claire was sobbing hysterically, and I also noted her seat belt wasn't on, but her hands were trembling and shaking so much that I let out a bark. I saw her turn to look at me, and she screamed as she saw me, noting that she saw a wolf the size of a horse. Her brown eyes flickered with the familiar innocence I remember her having. Her mouth was hanging open, and her expression resembled the vulnerable one she always wore as a child.

There was a truck coming down the highway at full speed. I howled in warning at her when I saw the truck, but she didn't see it until it was already too late. Her eyes lingered on the truck before she gulped and began to cry again. "I'm sorry Quil," I heard her mumble and snapped her eyes shut while her body tensed. The truck rammed into her car. The little thing spun out of control, and I watched in horror as Claire hit her head on the steering wheel then went flying through the windshield. I gasped then ran over to Claire as I saw her soar through the air. Right before she could hit the ground, I let her fall on me, her hands gently grazing my fur. As she slid onto the ground, I curled my body around her broken and battered form, howling in despair. This wasn't supposed to happen; I was supposed to protect her. My heart was pounding in the hollow chest cavity that I now had, and I was just praying to every god I have ever heard of that Claire would be alright… and after everything else I had failed to do, I failed my Claire-Bear with this as well…


	2. Thoughts

**Author's Note: Well I must say that I am truly astounded by the number of views and reviews I got for my first chapter! :) They all made me smile and are very much appreciated. I am excited to be writing this story because it almost explores a darker side of imprinting with Quil and Claire, so it's interesting to play around with that. Without further ado, here is the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I am merely borrowing the characters from the genius SM.**

-Claire-

I've always been fearless of death; I guess that's why I've always been a little bit (alright… _really_) reckless in my lifetime. As a child I was never afraid of falling, and I had even jumped down from our roof one day and had escaped with a scratch to the knee that only needed one band-aid. When swimming with Nessie and Caitlin, I was always the last one to get out of the water, with blue chapped lips and pruny, wrinkly skin. But I never complained. I was the strong one. But now, even lying on this hospital bed, probably my death bed, I still didn't complain. Through all the morphine and painkillers they gave to me to keep me alive, my heart kept beating. It got stronger and stronger every day. It was the hate and bitterness that was keeping me alive. After all, malice is the best (and only) medicine I've ever known these past years. My strong disliking to my perfect, older sister. My anger to Mom and Daddy that they always thought of me as the shadow. And lastly, my hate to Quil Ateara for not standing up for me these past years. As I slipped in and out of consciousness, I felt my facial expression curl into a soft frown as I even _thought _of them. Sometimes, even through the fighting now, I wished I _was _dead. So I would never have to face up to what I regretted losing.

-Quil-

The strong odor of the chemicals and medications made my stomach whirl around and I felt like all my intestines were having some kind of party. I rolled my eyes and just focused on Claire, trying to tune out all the sounds and sights of the hospital. It had been two weeks since Claire's accident. Two weeks since my horrifying vision had come true. But she wasn't dead. She was still a fighter. Every day I could hear her heart pumping stronger and stronger, and her breaths were deeper and more even than they had ever been. I didn't doubt that she wouldn't wake up any time soon. I just had that gut feeling. I still blamed myself for the accident though, even though Sam and the rest of the pack told me that it wasn't my fault. I knew it was; if I would've stuck up for Claire-Bear once in awhile, we wouldn't be here. Every time I saw the little cuts on her face that I knew would heal someday the pain was still there. Even though she had no visible scars like Emily did, it was still a painful reminder to even look at Claire because I knew I could've stopped everything. I don't blame her if she hates me.

Through the two weeks since Claire has been here, I've been sitting in this plastic, uncomfortable chair around the clock, just watching Claire. Her heart was beating rapidly now, and I forced myself to remain calm, my hand clutching the plastic chair like my life depended on it. I took a deep breath, and immediately calmed down when I saw Brady walk into the room. He had a bouquet of brightly colored orchids in one hand and a bag from the burger place down the street in the other.

Brady didn't seem any different than before. He still walked with that very slight slouch, and his grin that was drawn over his face was always lazy and carefree. He still hadn't given up phasing like some of the others in the pack, so he looked about seventeen or eighteen, because he was waiting until he found his imprint. Brady resembled a younger version of everyone. He was very easy-going like Jake and Seth, but it took him a long time to erase something bad from his memory like Sam. He was much more reserved like Embry and had a bad temper like Paul. If he imprinted, he would be like Jared to sweet little Kimmy, and everyone in the pack is very anxious for him to imprint. They know he would be sweet and good to his girl. Embry made a bet with Jared that he would literally worship the ground that she walked on.

Brady ran a hand through his dark black hair and grinned goofily at me, crossing the tiny room with one stride before setting the food down on the nightstand and the bouquet by Claire's bedside. "Hey, Quil." Much like Seth's voice, Brady's was still babyish and sweet, resembling a young child. Brady flipped his dark hair to the side, a serious expression plastered on his youthful face. He leaned against the wall, arms drawn across his chest as he spoke to me, his teeth sparkling against his russet-colored skin.

"Hey, Brady," I forced a smile back at the boy. He yawned and just nodded his head once at me, smiling cheekily. Man, what time did this boy wake up?

"Figured you might need a break from watching Claire," he paused. I coughed.

"Did you brush your teeth?" I complained to him, crinkling my nose at Brady.

"So I thought it would be alright if I took over for you while you went to go stretch your legs and clean up," Brady ignored my comment. The more that I thought of it, the more I thought he was right. I did need a break, but I couldn't leave Claire. I shot one last pained glance at my imprint, and Brady just rolled his eyes at me, sticking out his tongue subconsciously. "For Pete's sake, Quil! The girl's not gonna go anywhere! She'll be right where you left her when you get back," Brady complained to me, growling in silent irritation. I could picture the ashy gray wolf snarling at me with its teeth bared and fur sticking up on end. I laughed mentally at the thought but I just sighed.

"Thanks for the offer, Brady. But I need to stay here. Claire needs me," I shrugged, almost sighing in desperation. I desperately wanted to go out and get myself cleaned up, but I couldn't leave Claire. I wanted to be the first face she saw when she awoke. "I need to be here when she wakes up," I argued to him, and Brady just let out a rather defeated sigh.

"Can't do anything about that," he complained with a roll of his eyes. Shaking his head making a 'phhh' sound with his lips, Brady just nodded at me, leaning further against the wall so he slid down it and fell onto the ground with a plop. "Whatever, but I'm still staying here."

If it was ever allowed, I was never sure, but there was a time that Brady went out with Claire. He was her boyfriend, but the controversy and silent jealousy that was raging through me was too much, and Sam ordered Brady to dump Claire before things got out of hand. I could tell that Brady still cared for Claire now and was very affectionate towards her, and I loved that about Brady; he was very forgiving, even when you would think the situation was unforgivable. Brady always had mercy. He was the one that kept the balance and love and kindness in the Uley pack. When Brady dumped Claire, that's when she began to resent me. She said it was my fault that Brady never talked to her anymore; it was my fault that he left her. And it was. If I didn't imprint on her, they would've been a couple. But I did, and there was nothing I could do to reverse that, no matter how much I wished I could sometimes…

-Claire-

The voices were all muffled and garbled, but I could make them out— sort of. They were definitely two male voices. The one that was sitting next to me was radiating a heat like a furnace, and I resisted the urge to flounder towards him because I was so cold. I felt like even though I was bundled under all the blankets, I was still freezing. I suddenly got homesick, desperate to be in the warmth of my little room and smell my mother's cooking from the kitchen. I missed my sister, even though I resented her, and most of all, I missed my Quil. I had a stuffed animal, a brown stuffed animal that I got when I was a kid and I still had it. I remember that I called him Quil the Wolf and I took him everywhere with me. As I tried to move my hand, I felt my fingers brush the soft faux fur of the stuffed animal, and I sighed in relief, snuggling closer to him. Not only did I miss Quil the Wolf, but I missed Quil Ateara. He was my best friend. My protector. He was the one I flocked to when I had a problem; it seemed like such a long time ago since I consoled to Quil in my troubles. Even thinking of him hurt. I heard the voices chatter quietly, and I could make out a high one and a lowish voice. One smelled like coffee and cologne and the other of the forest. Brady and Quil.

My heartbeat was erratic now, and my mind swirled in confusion. I heard the faint beating of my monitor start to grow increasingly louder, and my breaths were uneven and rasping. My fear started to escalate, and I was now afraid of death. I didn't want to die. Even though I know I probably deserved it for being such a bad person to my friends and family, I didn't want it anymore. I heard the voices begin to shout, and I couldn't help it. I let out a scream and sat up; my eyes flew open.

The room was very distorted and blurry and spinning out of control, and I fought the urge to throw up. My head was spinning like crazy, and it was pounding like someone was driving a hammer into every side of it. I blearily turned my head to the right where I came across a very startled pair of brown eyes. I didn't even have to say his name to know it was Quil. I blinked once and began to slink back into unconsciousness, but I felt a strong yet gentle pair of arms circle around my body, and the hot furnace was close to me as Quil hugged me. For a brief moment, I felt all my bitterness fade away and bid me adieu, but the feeling didn't last as I remembered Quil was the reason why I was in the hospital. If he would've stopped me from leaving the house, none of us would be here at the moment. I weakly tried to hug him back, but all I _could _do to show him I was at least grateful for it was to lay my head at the crook of his neck, breathing in the familiar woodsy smell that he always had. My breathing deepened, and as my head cleared a little bit, I could almost swear that I heard him talking to me.

"It's alright Claire… I got you." He gave me a gentle squeeze and kissed the top of my head. But by then, I was so lost in the depths of my mind and started to slip back into sleep that I wasn't sure if the next part that I heard was just my imagination. "I love you Claire-Bear…"

**Author's Note: Bah, I know it's a little short, but I wanted to post something. I know you must all hate Claire because she's so stubborn and impossible, but things will get better. ;) Review please! **


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